Christian Living

Complete Cost of Serving Jesus

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
11/06/20
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“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27)

Our loving Heavenly Father, the Creator of the Havens and the earth, offers us salvation through the atoning blood of His Son Jesus Christ freely. (Ephesians 2:8) Jesus, the Son of God, came into the world to live a perfect life as a man, the Lamb of God sacrifice Himself in our place to pay the debt of our disobedience and to rise from the grave resurrected into everlasting life. (John 3:16) Salvation is the free gift of God through His Grace that we can be saved by faith in the Word of Jesus. “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:8-9)

In the Gospel of Luke, the recorded words of Jesus tell us that this is a commitment not to be taken lightly. (Luke 14:26_27) Some may question a God of love telling us that we must hate our family, friends, neighbors, and even our own lives. But we must not just read His Word but also study the Word. The Word of God was not written in only our language, but Hebrew or Greek. When we question the meaning of a word, we must look at the word in the language that it was written and find the meaning. What we have today is the best translation we can have, but it is not always complete. The word hate in this passage “is mis-eh-o” and means to detest (especially to persecute); by extension to love less: - hate.” (Strong’s) God gave us His best and first, and we are to return unto Him our best and first. Our best love and our first love.

Jesus is our Savior; think about that; there is no greater thing that we could receive. He died on the cross of crucifixion in our place that we can live. He offers His righteous life in place of our sinful life that we can have our relationship with the Heavenly Father restored. This acceptance of salvation cannot be worked for, it cannot be earned, we do not have to be righteous before we can receive it, and it is given to us if we accept it at no cost. Jesus paid the cost of His life that He could live through our life and accomplish the ministry of His Kingdom through us. Therefore, salvation is a free gift from God but being a disciple of Jesus, begin a follower of Christ, and serving Him as our Lord will cost our all. Jesus teaches us in the next verse that we need to count up the cost before we commit to follow Him. “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it.” (Luke 14:28)

A Christian is not someone who attends Church service on Christmas, Easter, and for funerals and weddings. A Christian is not someone who stops by the Church now and requests prayer, joining in the Church’s events, or never having time to participate in the Church’s functions. A Christian is not someone who never involves themselves in the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not that any of these things will save them, but they are reactions to being saved.

Christians are not the ones who regularly attend the worship services and maybe support the Church when they have time or a few free dollars. They are willing to come, and they are willing to be seen. They wear their mask and fool some, but God knows the heart, and He judges the heart of men, and if they are not willing to get out of the boat and come where Jesus calls if they are not ready to get out of their comfort zone, then the question is why? Because none of these things will save them either. Salvation is the free gift of God, and you can’t work or earn, or buy it.

The Christian is a committed believer who follows Jesus in faith in His world. They have gained a personal relationship with Jesus and follow Him wherever His Spirit leads them. They abide in the foremost command of Jesus, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) They live a life of serving Him in such a way that they glorify their Father in Heaven. They are committed and will not turn back. “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

The Christian knows that everything he does in the power of the name of Jesus that he will receive an eternal reward. The Christian is no longer living for this world but has an eternal perspective to store up treasure in the Kingdom of God. We spend much time abiding in this world’s things, and to some extent, that is necessary, but Paul tells that what every we do we should do it for God’s glory. “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” (Colossians 3:23) Investing in this world is a futile endeavor, and there is nothing that we will be able to take with us that has value. The work we do in the service of our Lord has eternal value as the day will come to the deeds of our flesh will be judged, and the work we do in the power of His Spirit will have eternal value. “Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-13)

If we neglect to build treasure in the Kingdom of God, we will be spiritual paupers standing naked on the streets of God. The day is coming for each follower of Jesus to stand before Him and give account and receive their reward or suffer the loss of rewards. The Christian then must attend to the ministry before him that he was created to accomplish. (Ephesians 2:10) Treasure built up here in the world will burden the heart, but the treasure stored in Heaven is secure by the riches of God’s glory. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:20-21)

The cost is our labors for the glory of God, but it is small when we consider the time we have is fleeting, and the effort we exert is done in His power. (Philippians 4:13) There is no investment we can make of earth that will pay superior dividends, and there is no dividend that will leave this world with us. But for the sacrifices we make here for our Lord and Savior will reap many eternal rewards beyond our minds to comprehend. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)

The Love that God has for us, His creation, is agape love. His love is unconditional love, even greater than that of an earthly parent. It is beyond man’s ability to return this love unless God gives it to him to return. “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16) This love is so intense that in comparison, the love we have for family, friends, and neighbors may seem like hate, but it is not; it is just that we love our God more. When we express that love, the love that God gives us to the least of His Jesus will bless us for our love. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34)

Jesus, even now, is preparing a place just for each of us. A place built with each of us in mind. It is that home that will bring complete satisfaction, unlike any home we have had here in this world. Our Home is in a place that we were created to be and far outshines the world we have been living in. it is the greater paradise that man has been searching for forever since he lost paradise in the Garden of Eden. If we count the cost of being a disciple of Christ, we will see that it is minimal to what God has stored up for us. I cannot speak of it because it is beyond the comprehension of any man.

When you accept Jesus into your life, let Him in to be Lord of your life. Follow His lead obeying His commandments as proof of your love for Him. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) The cost may seem great to us now, but it is only for a short while, and the inheritance is greater than we can imagine. Everything in this world comes at a cost. Every decision we make comes at a cost. Every action we perform comes with a cost. But what does it profit us in the end? I have never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul. We have to live in this world, but we are pilgrims traveling to the next world, which has eternal consequences. If you do not make that full commitment to Jesus, your Lord and Savior, you might be surprised when Hs denies you. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:22-23)

 If you do not give the Lord you first and best, then you may be ashamed on the great day. If you are not willing to make that commitment, if you do not strive to have a personal relationship with Jesus, and if you do not serve Him with your all, then you are not worthy to be in His presence. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matthew 10:38)

Thomas N Kirkpatrick

First Baptist Church of Durant, March 5, 2018